The Littlest Valkyrie
by AngelLux13
Summary: When a young human girl's life is turned upside-down by a sudden invasion, she is forced into refuge far from Earth. But she is determined not to give up without a fight. Enjoy the first story in the new series, 'Valkyrie Chronicles.'More to come...
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys, I'm back after God knows how long! Happy summer!_

_I know that this is like my third time writing a story about my own character, but now I think I can finally write an even greater story. Reviews and constructive criticism are totally welcome. :) _

_This is the first part of an all-new series of mine. I hope you enjoy the first part of Valkyrie Chronicles!_

_Also, I've got a Rayman story coming along. Check it out sometime if you love Rayman like I do!_

* * *

The Littlest Valkyrie

1. An Unusual Start for Summer

The night sky was jet black and starless due to the bright lights of the city. Cars zoomed across the streets and sirens screamed. People were everywhere to be seen. No one would blame them for being outside this late; that's how a big city like this one usually is. Even at midnight.

I sat in front of my window on top of my bed, watching the action down below. My family and I live in an apartment with big windows, which isn't too unusual if you live in one. But ours is different. It's a company apartment where my family and some families of other employees in the company in which my dad works live. Since its profits are stable, they were able to build a big one close to the offices. The place was humongous, skyrocketing to up to sixty feet tall. Our home is on the third floor. One side of my bedroom is just three over-sized windowpanes, making three rectangles on the glass. My room's rectangular in shape and rather spacey, but I don't care because I like it the way it is. It consists of a white vanity and a dresser, decorated on top with a few personal belongings of mine. There's a bookshelf next to the door, holding books among lots of genres, from fantasy to science fiction. In one corner there's a T.V. with a video game system and a bean bag chair. There's also a desk with a computer perched on top. My big, comfy bed completed the room, draped with a purple blanket, a decorative canopy hanging overhead.

Despite all the nice things I have now, I hate to admit to myself that I'm a little bored with my life. Sure, life's going well for me and my family, but this life can also be a bit dull at times. What I need right now is an adventure. A great, memorable one.

Fortunately it's summer vacation for me now, the perfect time for adventure. I have plenty of time to do what I want when I want. I could go on a vacation to a place with exotic wonders that would make me feel like I may not have died, but gone to heaven. Better yet, something beyond that. I'm not too sure what kind of adventure I'm searching for, but I'm patient about it. I don't care what it might be if I get to experience such a thing, I just want to have some fun.

A knock on my bedroom door pierced through my thoughts like a bullet shooting a target. "Come in," I called.

The door swung open gently, and there, smiling lovingly at me, was my dad. "Hi, sweetie," he greeted. "How you doing?"

"Good," I replied, turning around on my bed to face him and return the smile on his face. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," he said as he walked over to me. He sat down on my bed and curled his arm around me. "Are you excited that school's finally out?"

"I couldn't be more excited, Daddy." I answered. "I can't believe I'm going to be in seventh grade soon. Can you?"

"Nope. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?" he sighed. "Seventh grade. My little girl's going to be a middle school student. Isn't that an endearing thing?"

"It sure is." I said, leaning against him as he stroked my deep-brown, burgundy-streaked, slightly beyond shoulder-length hair. I was excited to be going to middle school. All the same old methods in elementary school were getting so old for me, and I was ready to get out of there today. Right when I burst out of that building in the afternoon, I shouted just one little word in total jubilation: "FREEDOM!" Now I have a great summer to experience and a whole new chapter in my life to look forward to.

"So what would you like to do on your first day off tomorrow?" Dad asked.

"...I don't know yet," I said. "How about I dream up an idea of fun for us tonight?"

"That sounds like a good idea," he said. "You going to bed soon?"

"I'm doing that right now, actually." I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Daddy."

"Sleep well, Scout." Dad murmured. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

And with that, he closed my door.

I bounced a little on my bed before turning off the lamp next to me and plopping my head into my pillow. My bed felt inviting at this hour. It was late, and I was tired. Finally I pulled the blanket over my body and snuggled into the mattress. I let fatigue take over from there, my eyes growing heavy as I drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Destruction. Devastation. Desperation. All of these things wracked my surroundings. _

_I had no clue where I was. All I know was that it was dark, and the only light was this huge, blazing fire all around. To add to the fright of the place, there wasn't anyone else there. I was all alone. _

_Alone in where? It felt like I was nowhere. I was isolated from everyone, including my family. _

_"Mom!" I shouted. "Dad! Bro! Where are you?!" My lungs stung with the high volume of my shouting. The sounds of my brother and parents' names echoed in the limitless space. I didn't get a reply. _

_"MOMMY!" I screamed even louder, hoping someone would hear me. "Hey! ANYBODY! HELLO!"_

_Nobody was answering me. The truth was bitter on my heart. Nobody was there. _

_My knees gave out_ _at last. I was on the ground, which was heated by the huge flames around me. My heart tightened in my chest, literally making my chest hurt. My vision blurred as water flooded my eyes. I was even sadder because there wasn't any comfort due to the lack of anyone else there. Covering my face with my palms, I started to sob._

_"Please..." I whimpered. "...Anyone...Answer me."_

_Then a great big shadow descended upon me, making me take my face out of my hands. When I looked up to see what was there. When I saw what was there I wanted to cover my face back up or gouge out my own eyes. That face..._

_So...freaking...hideous. _

_...But I couldn't take my eyes off that face no matter how hard I tried. His evil glowing eyes and nasty grin kept my eyes open and glued to his face. I knew he was evil. Why else would he look so terrible? _

_All that was completely confirmed as he reached for me with skeletal claws..._

My eyes snapped open seconds later. The blanket that covered me up and my silk nightgown was plastered to my skin with sweat. I sat up and looked around to see if there was anything seriously wrong. Thankfully, there wasn't. Everything was the way it should be. Just plain peaceful.

"Whoa, that was close," I sighed, plunging back onto my pillow. I glanced out my huge window. I expected it to be light out, but it wasn't so. Not yet. I didn't hear any cars down in the streets. No building had a single light on yet. The city was sleeping, and the sky was pitch black. I looked over at my alarm clock. It was three-thirty in the morning. No wonder it was so dark and quiet outside.

That was a really unusual nightmare. Usually the ones I had on occasion had to do with something _really_ embarrassing. I can't remember one that actually scared me this much.

Oh well. It's over now and it wasn't real. That's all that matters to me. I just hope I can forget about it. Nestling back into my sheets and pillow, I closed my eyes again.

* * *

Warm sunbeams filtered through the glass into my room, adding to the warmth of my blanket. Now I could hear cars zooming through the streets below. It seemed to be welcoming outside, but I don't care right now. I was way too tired. I don't know about you, but I'm a little cranky in the morning.

_Go away, morning_, I thought. _I don't want to wake up yet_.

It was like someone heard my thoughts and totally shunned them, because all of a sudden, there was a knock on my door. Oh, goodie. Someone was coming to wake me up. Seconds later I heard a creak as a familiar figure ran over to my bed and jumped on me.

"Rise and shine, sis," I heard my older brother call. "You awake?"

I tried to ignore him and laid still under the covers. Nevertheless he dug his hands underneath them and pulled them over my head a little.

"_Hello_?" he said. "Are you awake?"

Seeing him staring me in the face freaked me out a little, so he managed to get me to open my eyes. "...I am now." I finally answered.

A satisfied grin added to the happy emotion in his green eyes. Seeing him happy made me crack a smile despite my grouchiness. My brother Aries is all of fourteen, with brown hair that's a bit lighter and a lot shorter than my own hair, with blond highlights in it. We had the same skin tone, and his eyes were always dancing with warmth when he was around me. He also had a slight build from working out every now and then. Especially from the effects of lifting weights during gym at school. Even though I'm his sister, I have to admit that he's easy for any girl his age to fall for. He's pretty good-looking. And those good looks added to his courage and spirit that was always full of promise.

"Hi, Aries," I greeted.

"Morning, sis," he smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"...Other than having a really crazy dream, I slept pretty well."

"Ah," he said. "Bad dreams can really be a pain can't they?"

"Yeah."

"Well, don't let it get to you," he advised. I rewarded him with a smile of appreciation for his support. He'd always been a great source of support to me. I was totally grateful to have a great big brother like him. "Anyway, Mom asked me to come in and give you a wake up call. We're going down into the city for a while later."

"Sweet," I said cheerfully. "I'll be out in a sec."

"See you then." he said. And with that, he went out the door.

I didn't waste any time after he walked out. I immediately bounced off my bed and walked over to my dresser to pick out something to wear for the day. I really was pretty enthusiastic about going down to the city. Regardless of living in this city for just about all my life, I never grew bored of it. Life was active here, and I'm a pretty active kid, so this is my kind of place.

Then I pulled out a sleeveless, peach-colored tye-dye shirt and slipped on some overalls. I took a little time to face my vanity mirror, put on my favorite rosary beads, and brush my hair out. When I was done, I walked out of my room to join my family in our walk.

* * *

As we strided down the concrete of the pavement, we talked about other things for this summer to bring, including one of my most favorite things about the summer.

My birthday was coming up.

Aries was the one who brought it up. It all started when I caught a glimpse of a few desirable things on display in lots of shop windows we were passing.

"Bet some of those things will be going on your birthday list," he said.

"Only a month away," I replied dreamily.

"Are you excited?" asked my mom.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked back. Soon I'd be twelve, the last official year of my pure childhood. Before I know it, I'll be a teenager like my brother. I'm so anxious for this day to come that it's not even funny. The reason why is because I want to start a bunch of new responsibilities at a good age. I think age twelve sounds like a good time to do that.

Suddenly, all my cheer dashed away as the wail of cop car sirens rang in my ears close by. Up ahead I saw a butt-load of people standing around what I knew had to be some crime scene. There were about six cop cars around the bystanders. A few cops were explaining to some of the civilians that something had happened. Curiosity getting the best of me, I walked over to the crowd. My parents and Aries were a little interested, too, so they didn't try to hold me back. In a few seconds I was close enough to hear exactly what people were talking about. Every sentence I heard made me feel sympathetic and shocked.

_"Kidnapping at the hotel..."_

_"A five-year-old boy..."_

_"Taken away from his parents unexpectedly..."_

_"A search for the boy is in progress..."_

"...This is terrible." Mom sighed.

"Yeah," I said, guilt washing over me like a tsunami. "I hope the kid's okay." As much as I felt bad for the missing kid and knew that I couldn't have done anything about it, I wanted to do something. But there was something I could do now, I was worried that my parents would just neglect the situation and drag me away from it. But I didn't want that to happen.

"Mom, Dad, can I help look for the kid?" I spoke up. "His parents need some help."

My parents exchanged glances, thinking about my offer. After a few seconds my mom looked down at me. "That's very good of you, honey," she smiled. "We can look for him."

I felt like cheering, but I thought that some people would think I was glad that there was a missing boy, so I just smiled.

* * *

We searched a bunch of blocks for what felt like hours. It was no wonder we couldn't find the little boy; the city was pretty big. You wouldn't blame anyone for getting lost in a place like this. It reminded me of when I was little.

When I was a little kid, I was always wandering around and observing things. This always helped me learn about my surroundings a little, but it would also get me into trouble sometimes due to wandering off. I really hope the little boy isn't in too much trouble right now.

The next sound that hit my ears sent a chill down my spine. It had come from inside an alley right next to me. Out of instinct, I walked into it a little. Crying. Muffled crying. I knew in my mind that it was so. But just to make sure, I started to walk over to the source of the sound.

Suddenly I stopped short. What if there wasn't just one person there? If it was the little boy, then his kidnappers could still be with him too. If they were, then they could try to attack me, or worse...kidnap me too. But I wasn't about to let that happen. I had to find that kid, kidnappers or not. I looked around the alley to find something to defend myself with in case the kidnappers were there. I picked the lid off from the top of a garbage can and a rusty shovel. I can admit that they weren't the best providers of defense, but they sure would be useful. _Here goes nothing. This better be the kid, and he'd better be okay!_

For the first few seconds I tiptoed over to the source of the sobbing noise. I glanced at the hidden side of a dumpster, where I assumed the sound took place, to see if there was any sign of a big guy or two taunting a little boy. Thankfully I didn't see any.

Then I strode over, my 'shield' and shovel raised high above my head. In seconds I was before the source of the sound. I looked down at the little boy sympathetically. He had his face buried into his knees and arms, his back heaving with choked sobs. To my surprise, he had a small trickle of blood dripping down his copper skin. My eyes narrowed in disgust as I knelt down next to the boy. What kind of a sick person would take an innocent kid from his parents and hurt him. I literally felt a bit sick.

I let my anger settle as I stroked the boy's back. He raised his head and looked at me with reddened, puffy, fearful eyes.

"Don't be scared," I said gently. "It's okay. Those kidnappers are gone now...Right?"

He nodded weakly, still a bit frightened. "Y-yeah. They're gone now."

Then I gestured to the blood on his arm. "Did they hurt you?" I asked. "What did they do to you?"

He took a deep breath so he could tell me calmly what happened to him. "They...they took me away from Mommy and Daddy to this big place," he sniffled, referring to the alley. "Then they took out this thing that they use to give kids shots."

"A syringe?" I suggested.

"What?"

"I think that's what they call the thing that gives you shots," I explained as easily I could to this child. I hoped he'd understand that okay. He looked to be about three or four years old, so it would be easy for him to misunderstand me. "Get it?"

"I guess so," he answered. "I hate those things. It's scary."

"Yeah, I feel that. I despise shots as much as you do," I grinned. "Go on. Tell me what else happened."

"Um...so they gave me a shot and took a bit of blood from me. Then they just ran away and left me here, and here I am." he concluded.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" I asked.

"No."

"Well, that's good," I said. "Let me wipe that up for you." Then I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tissue. I dabbed the cut with it and tied it around his skinny arm as best as I could. "If that falls off, just hold it there, okay?"

"Okay," he promised. "What's your name?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" I laughed. "My name's Scout Turner. What's your name?"

"I'm Theo," he said. "Um, thank you for finding and helping me."

"My pleasure, Theo," I smiled, picking him up and putting him on my back. He locked his arms around my chest, and I tucked my arms under his knees, which reached around my body tightly. "How about I take you back to your mama and papa now?"

"Yay!" he cheered. "I can't wait to see my parents again! I'm so glad those two kidnappers are gone now. They were mean!"

"They're criminals, buddy," I said. "Criminals are mean."

"No way, really?" my friend demanded excitedly.

"Yeah, really," I laughed. "Why else would I tell you that?"

"That's just really awesome of you, Scout," said Dom.

"Thanks," I said timidly.

Not long after we got home from our walk around the city did I invite my friend Sam over. He's my age, with buzz-cut brown hair, tan skin, and hazel eyes. We were sitting at the counter in the middle of the kitchen counter, socializing. Over in the family room, my mom interjected in our conversation and asked me if I wanted to talk about what happened in the city, so I did. He was pretty amazed.

"How come you did it in the first place?" he asked.

"I felt bad for him and his parents," I replied. "And besides, if I didn't go help the innocent, who would?"

"Cool," he grinned. "And here's a report on it right now on T.V."

I turned my face to the big screen T.V. next to me. There was an anchorwoman standing in front of the old crime scene, describing what happened earlier. I smiled when she mentioned Theo's current condition-he was doing just fine. But I grimaced when I heard her say that the crooks who kidnapped him weren't found yet. I at least hope they'll get what thet deserve soon--pure punishment.

_In the dream, I think I see the kidnappers. Theo didn't tell me how many there were, but this dream could answer my question. They were a pair. Their faces are shielded by black wool masks. Even though I can't see their faces, I know their faces are grim and accusing. What are they doing? Are they mad at me for saving Theo? _

_I stared them in the faces, glaring at them with as much accusation as they were to me. The next few seconds didn't go so smoothly. One of them reached out for me swiftly. I just barely escaped his grasp. But then I felt the other one slide behind me to catch me. Before he could do so I kicked him square in the stomach. He roared in pain. It shocked me to hear such a roar, it sounded so unusual, so alien, unlike any cry from a human I've ever heard. Then I dashed away as fast as my feet would carry me. _

_What happened next was far from what I expected. The two goons appeared in front of me instantly out of the blue and caught me. I kicked and screamed, but they were way too strong. I even tried to kick the one who held me in the...you should know where, but something stopped me._

_There, in front of me, was the same hideous face of a pale-faced wraithlike thing from my last nightmare. It laughed insanely in my own face. I flinched as a large skeletal hand reached out for me. The touch on my cheek was icy and tingly. I shook violently as it stroked my cheek. _

_"I don't blame you for being scared," it snickered. "You have every reason to be afraid."_

_I suppressed my trembling and tried to look at it. He must not have had to look at me and my actions to know that I was scared. _

_"You're not alone, though. I'm coming to other people of your race in their sleep, haunting them, tainting their dreams."_

_"...But why?" I managed to say._

_"I'm coming for you all," it said grimly. "I'm coming for your powerless little planet. Soon you shall all be mine! Forever and ever!"_

_He roared with wicked laughter, and the two things shrieked with laughter like hyenas along with the demonic thing. _

And just like that, I was awake again, screaming bloody murder into the night.

* * *

_So, how do you like it so far? After deleting so many stories about this kind of topic, I think this will actually turn out well. You can look forward to seeing more! _

_Don't forget to check out my Rayman story!_

_Nightmare is not my own character. Everything else belongs to me._


	2. Weird Happenings

The Littlest Valkyrie

2. Weird Happenings

I didn't feel the same after I woke up from that nightmare. I mean, usually I'd just try to shrug one off after I wake up in the morning. I knew that bad dreams and things in them can't hurt you. But for some stupid reason, this one was different.

I remember when I was little and had nightmares. I wasn't scared of strangers, monsters, or the dark like most little kids. I knew there was nothing to be scared of the dark because darkness can't hurt you, of course; monsters only exist in stories and your imagination, and not all strangers have bad intentions for children. Not that I didn't listen to my mom about not talking to them.

I was afraid of things that a small child might not even hear of or understand. I was and still am scared of war, desolate happenings, demons, and poisonous animals; especially snakes and scorpions. All of these things _SUCK_!

But the one thing I was afraid of that sucked the most out of all those things...was being withdrawn from my friends and family. Sometimes when I was separated from them for a long time I'd worry that something will happen to them. I'd always wonder when they'd come back to me when they weren't near me.

That's what made me feel so weird. This thing in my dream seemed to know what my fears were. In the first dream I had with him in it, there was warlike destruction, like the huge fire, loneliness, and the demonic thing itself. In the other one, there were bad things happening to me, like being chased and held hostage by big ugly brutes. I didn't know how that could be. I couldn't tell anyone about it because there was nothing anyone could really do about that kind of stuff, was there?

I'm just going to try not to think anything of it. After all, it was just a bad dream.

"Hey babe, come look at this." my mom called.

After I heard her calling me, I jumped out of my thoughts and turned my gaze from my half-eaten waffles on the table to her. She was watching the news again. I looked closely at what the reporters had to show, and I was interested, no doubt.

Crop circles. Lots of them. Almost everywhere you can imagine.

I finished up my breakfast a little faster than I should've and joined her on the couch. She curled her arm around me. She had a thing for supernatural things like reports of alien sightings and crop circles in contrast to my dad and Aries. They both thought that stuff were plain hoaxes, stirred up by crazy people. My mom and I thought that just because someone sees something out of the ordinary doesn't mean they're nuts. Luckily they weren't at home to tell us how much they didn't believe the story; Dad was at work and Aries was out with friends. Besides, if a farmer woke up to find his cornfield sliced up into strange patterns, and there were no footprints or machine tracks left behind, then it _must_'_ve_ be a real phenomenon.

As we looked at the markings in the fields, I saw that they were pretty disturbing in looks. They were all large in size, but neither my mom nor I could make out what they were or what they meant. One design that got my attention was a football-shaped thing with..._flying saucers_ around it? It also had a sphere right in the middle of it. Could it...have been an eye, maybe?

But of all the ones I saw, one made my hair stand on end.

That design was the largest of all, and the scariest. It almost looked like a person, but it was very freakish in looks. Its body was really thin, but it was kind of wide where I guessed its chest would be. Its body looked kind of like a withered, upside-down pear and had stars drawn into it. On what I thought were its shoulders were rows of three large circles. I could see its face, and that was the absolute worst part. Whatever this thing was, it sure as heck wasn't some beauty queen. Its chin drooped down to its chest and looked a _lot_ like...

...

...I quietly kept that thought to myself and tried hard not to smile or laugh. You wouldn't want to know what I was thinking!

Its eyes, or eye, since I didn't really see two, looked narrow, like it was angry. It had a rat's nose, and it's lips were curled backward into an ugly grin.

"What is that?" my mom asked.

"I don't know..." I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or faint. That was the exact thing that was in my dreams! The same thing that spoke to me! But how?

WHY?

"They said that these same designs have been cut into different fields throughout the world," Mom said. "That's so strange! What do you think, Scout?..._Scout_?"

I couldn't respond. I just couldn't. I could only pray to God that I wasn't going nuts, and that this wasn't really happening. But if it wasn't happening, I would've just been having irregular nightmares. However, if it was really happening, I wouldn't be going nuts, but my nightmares would be seeming real. I didn't know what to think.

"...Yeah," I answered after pulling myself together. "It's strange." I looked up at her. "Can I see if Sam wants to go skateboarding?"

"Sure, honey," she said. "Just be back by 2:00, okay?"

I leaned up and kissed her cheek. "Okay, Mom," I promised. "I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart," she said, waving goodbye to me. "Be careful."

"I will!"

* * *

I gazed at Sam impressively as he landed on the ground after an awesome flip.

"Nice one!" I complimented.

"Thanks!" he replied as he zoomed past me.

As much as I wanted to get back on my skateboard and join him, I wanted to get those agonizing thoughts out of my head. I didn't know why I couldn't drop it, all I knew was that the things in my dreams were becoming real. The most frustraiting part was that I couldn't find out how or why.

But I couldn't just let it get to me. I mean, it wasn't like someone close to me moved or passed away and I couldn't stop crying for them. Besides, nothing terrible had happened yet.

"Come on, Scout Turner," I growled to myself. "Don't let this get to ya. You're here to have fun with your best friend and get away from these thoughts, not let them get worse.

"Just forget about them. Focus only on the brighter side of things. Have fun."

I didn't hear him roll over to me, only his voice right next to me. "Are you talking to yourself?" Sam asked.

I jumped up, a little startled. "Just thinking to myself out loud," I answered.

He grinned at me slyly. "What were you thinking out loud?"

I grinned back at him, ten times more wicked than his own. "...Right now I'm thinkin' out loud that I can beat ya in a race around the skate park!"

There was no mistaking of the confidence and delight of being challenged in his hazel eyes. "You're on!"

I positioned myself on my skateboard along with him to prepare for the race. He wobbled a bit on his skateboard as he tried to keep his balance in a useless attempt. Just in time I stepped off my board to snatch him back up and save him from hurting himself after the fall. He usually wasn't this ungraceful; he's almost always as stable as a brick house. I didn't blame him, because I do that sometimes too. Skateboarding takes a bit of time to get used to.

"Thanks," he smiled as we got back on his skateboard.

"No problem," I replied. "Teammates have to look out for each other at all times."

He laughed a little bit as I re-positioned myself on my board as well. I looked ahead and around for a few seconds to see how far around I was supposed to go. This wasn't a very big skate park, but I'm not saying that it's not big. Especially not on the outside part. There were a few obstacles in my way as well.

...Perfect. I don't like a challenge...I _love_ a challenge. I love challenges because they increase my capabilities of doing things that are risky, tough, and new to me. The more I take them on, I get better at doing things and get smarter in the whole process, man! It's awesome! Isn't it fun??

Sam and I looked at each other and smirked as we counted down, ready to race.

"Three...two...one...

"GO!"

ZOOM! We were off at the very next second. I felt my deep brown bangs slap my left temple as I rode. Sam was right next to me, struggling to push his foot off the ground faster than I was. He was successful, unfortunately; he was getting inches further in front of me.

A few other skaters cheered us on as we raced, some cheering, booing, hooting, and whistling. I knew I was the one being booed.

But I wasn't about to be intimidated. I pushed faster and faster, looking around for a way to get in front of him. For a few seconds I didn't see anything that could help me, until something caught my eye.

The rink.

If I could get in there, I could try to pick up more speed quickly enough to jump next to him again. Better yet, ahead of him. It was the only way to get to him, even if it might not have been worth it. I had to try.

_Here it goes!_ I thought. _I hope I make it!_

Bracing myself, I jumped into the rink, feeling light for a second as I rolled downward. When I got to the bottom I picked up speed again, faster than ever before. My legs, chest, arms, and head hurt from using so much energy to catch up with Sam, but I still kept going. I wasn't about to lose.

Finally, I sped up enough to leap out of the rink...and jumped out of it just as Sam was about to skate past me. I was next to him again.

"Hi there!" I teased.

He gawked at me with wide, shocked eyes. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "How'd you do that so fast?"

"I pretty much used up most of my strength," I said. "It was worth it. And I can still use the energy I have left to beat you!"

"Not if I get there first!" he shouted.

"You don't need to!" a voice yelled.

Sam and I turned to the source of the voice, which turned out to be a watching skater, a tall kid with a slight build. "Why not?" we asked.

"You're already close to the finish line!" he replied.

Sam and I looked ahead, seeing that he was right. We were already close to getting back to where we started the race. We hadn't noticed because we were too busy talking about my little stunt. All we had to do was go around the rest of the rink, which wasn't far off, and we'd be done. We put all our energy into winning, but we both went so fast that we just stayed side-by-side all the way to the finish. It was a tie. Again.

I came to a stop after the race was over. I was so sweaty and exhausted that I flopped down on the hot pavement right there. I could hear Sam laugh and sit down next to me.

He tucked his hand under my chin to make me look at him. "Jeez, you sure look like crashing."

"I would've if there weren't people watching," I panted, looking around to see if anyone was still watching us. They'd all gone back to their own business.

Suddenly the scorching pavement beneath me cooled down. I assumed it was just a small cloud passing underneath the sun. But then I heard a random clash of thunder and knew that it wasn't a little cloud. I swung my head up and saw the biggest, darkest possible clouds. Ever. I'd never seen clouds that dark or big, that's why I knew those weren't normal storm clouds. I also saw some other random lights up there. They couldn't be lightning.

"Those are some huge clouds," said Sam. "How'd they get here so fast?"

Suddenly I saw the absolute most shocking sight. A mysterious, flat-looking object about two miles across seeped out of the clouds. It had many jagged lines tracedon it, some blue, some green, or yellow. I couldn't believe it was there, but it was. It was a U.F.O.!

Sam stared up at it in disbelief. "What...is that thing??"

"I don't know." I whispered.

I just assumed that it was that football-shaped thing in the crop field. I was terrified, I'll admit. I didn't know what that thing was doing here, what was inside it, or what it was capable of. All I knew was that it was alien.

My fears were realized when a large hole opened up in the center of the bottom of the ship. What came out...was indescribeable. Little things on little flight machines, all wielding a weapon. Other beings, huge, monstrous things, flew by wings. Their gigantic claws, jaws, arms and legs would do perfectly for battle. That's when I heard the screams of people in the city.

"Sam..." I whimpered.

"...Y-yeah?"

"Let's get out of here. Now."


	3. On The Run

The Littlest Valkyrie

3. On The Run

I couldn't help but stare astoundingly at the huge ship and what was coming out of it. I was scared of it, but I was captivated by its size, outer design and functions. I had no idea why it was here and who, or _what_ was coming out of it intended to do or what it was capable of. All I knew was that it was alien and pretty friggin' dangerous.

Then I remembered--my family! What if something bad happens to them? What if the ship bombs our apartment and everybody dies??

I just had to get back home and warn them about what was happening. Maybe they already knew about it, but I still had to get home and help them. I didn't care what the risks were or how many scared people would trample me before I got a block away from my apartment.

"Sam?" I called to make sure he was still there.

He was right by my side the moment I said his name. He looked just as scared as I was, his eyes wide, his lips quivering.

"C'mon, Sam, we're making a run for it!"

Sam asked no questions nor did he hesitate for one second. We were back on our skateboards in a heartbeat, dashing out of the skate park as fast as our left legs would push us. As we got closer to the city we could hear people screaming and running easily. We could make out their shapes as we got closer too, as well as some really big...creatures.

They were huge; and so were their muscular builds and weapons. Their scaly skin varied from all colors of the rainbow, not bleeding from the shots that the police officers' guns fired at them. I could see sharp fangs protruding from their slobbery lips that looked like they could rip all seven layers of skin on a person at once. Lots of those brutes were unarmed, but their gigantic arms, legs and claws would do perfectly well. They ravaged any human in their path, knocking them aside with a quick swat. I tried to shield my eyes from the horrible sight. I looked at Sam; he looked like he was going to be sick. I felt sick. Literally.

What were these things, what were they doing here, what did they want, where'd they come from, and WHY WERE THEY HURTING EVERY INNOCENT SOUL IN THEIR PATH!?

A few people tried to drive through the monstrous beasts, tires screeching as they turned this way and that furiously. Then one car, a silver low-rider, pulled up next to Sam and me. The passenger window was rolled down, and we saw a man stick his head out.

"What on earth are you kids doing out here!?" he demanded. "Get in the car!"

Without further ado we jumped into the passenger seats in the back and buckled up hastily.

"Are you kids insane? Look at how dangerous it is!" the man scolded. "Why the hell were you out there?"

"We have to get home to our families to make sure they're okay," I answered.

"You can't get anywhere right now," he said. "The whole city is being completely overrun with these...monstrosities!"

"But they could get killed!" we protested.

The man looked at us reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll try to help you find your families, but it's not going to be easy." He didn't notice a huge-clawed monster stomp toward the car. "Just stick with me, kids."

Then the monster was right next to us, its huge arms raised in mercilessness. Its blood-red eyes burned an aching, fearful hole in my heart.

"Look out!" I screamed.

But it was too late. Without warning we were hauled up into the air. For a few moments were felt air underneath us before we were pulled back...then tossed what I thought was about twenty feet in front of us. The hood of the car crashed into a streetlight. Worried for our driver, I looked at the driver's seat to find him crushed against the steering column, all bloody. A few tears ran down my face when I saw his body. Sam saw me cry and held me close to him for a few seconds. I buried my face against him. He sighed shakily into my hair, and I knew he wasn't about to take this much longer. I could hear his rapid heartbeat before he took my hand and led me out of the wrecked car.

"Come on, we have to find a way to get out of here!" he said.

"We should find a place to go where these brutes won't-" I was cut off when an unsuspecting man scampered past us so fast that he knocked us to the ground. "-see us." I finished rather irritably.

Still on the street, I looked through the frantic sea of people and demonic dudes to find an escape route. It was a bit hard because people kept getting into my sight and tripping over me occasionally. I shook my fist and snarled, "Watch it!" at every person who _did_ trip over me or kick me upside my head. Unfortunately they didn't pay any attention to me because they were to busy trying to get to safe places. I tried not to blame them because I was trying to get away too.

At last something caught my eye. Among the gray of the street, there was a black circle splotched with red rust in the center. The sewer! It was the perfect escape route! I looked at Sam to make sure he wasn't lost or worse--dead. Fortunately he was still there with me.

"See something?" he asked.

"Sam, there's a sewer over there just a few steps away. "I replied. "Let's get to it!"

"Are you sure?" he said. "What about rats or disease?"

This concerned me; sewers were breeding grounds for germs for sure. Plus, I didn't want to get wet and smelly with water with poo and whatever else made it so gross. But I'd rather get dirty than die a horrible death without even seeing my family one last time.

"Come on," I said. "We'll be careful down there. It's the only way to escape from here now!"

After that there wasn't any more talk, just action. Sam and I dashed to the sewer, lifted the lid off with huge effort, and ascended the ladder into the vertical tunnel. Before I followed Sam down the ladder, I slid the lid back over the hole to make sure no monsters would follow us down. Then I climbed down as fast as I could to catch up with Sam, who was already halfway down. Then I saw him stop in midair and drop down seconds later. I could just barely make out his shape in the dark down there.

"Come on!" he called. "I'm down here."

When I went further down I saw that the ladder's end was hanging in the air. I'd have to jump down from there to get to Sam. Oh well, I didn't want to hang there any longer and the floor wasn't too far down. When I got to the bottom of the ladder I grasped the last metal bar tightly as my body dangled freely. It hurt my arms a little as if I were doing a pull-up. Then I let go and waited for the big splash from falling into that nasty sewer water.

But there wasn't a splash and a cold sensation on my back when I got to the bottom. In fact, I hadn't even hit the ground. Something was holding me up. I turned my gaze upward to find Sam winking at me. Then I realized--holy crap, he caught me! I was in his arms! To be honest it felt kind of embarrassing. Sam had always been a companion to me, but this was the first time he actually did something this...indescribable. Yeah, that's a way to put it. It felt like a fairy tale scene; I was the damsel in distress who was rescued from harm by Sam, the honorable and _cute_, as a girl like me would describe him, knight in shining armor.

"Thanks, Sam," I managed to say shyly.

"No problem," he said, placing me on my feet. I felt water seep into my shoes. "That's what friends are for."

I smiled at him before grimacing at the rather lovely odor in the sewer. "Man, it smells like my dad's feet, my brother's farts and a stink bomb put together down here," I groaned.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, never smelled something so gross in forever," he grinned ."Hopefully we won't be down here for so long."

"Let's go through the tunnel and see if we can find a safe exit," I suggested. "And let's try to find a piece of metal like a crowbar or something in case of rats."

"Or monsters." he reminded.

"What are we waiting for?" I said. "Let's get moving."

We walked on through the dark, damp, musky tunnel despite our fears. Lots of feelings and thoughts were running through my head, and none of them were positive. My parents and brother were at home or had fled to some place that I hoped was safe, monstrous aliens were on the surface wreaking havoc, and Sam and I were alone in a sewer full of crap and rats.

But what made me feel better was the fact that Sam was there with me. I'd never want to be alone in a situation that everyone knew was impossible, but it happened. Sam was one of the least expected people to be with me in this situation, but it felt...reassuring. I mean, he was my best friend. What's wrong with that? I'd expect it to be my family or God, but this was perfectly okay to me. What mattered was that we were alive and well, and God was there, keeping us safe.

_Please_, I prayed in my head. _Please look after my family and protect them from any harm that may come their way. Bless Sam's family too; protect his father, mother and little sister Ava Maria. Also, lead those who die from these things to your kingdom and save the living from harm. Please let us know why these creatures have come to Earth and let us protect ourselves. _

_If you will help us, I'll devote the rest of my life to serving you and doing what you'll want of me. I'll encourage others to believe in you and I'll help others like your Son did for us. In your glorious name, amen. _

Sam and I were walking rather close to each other. At one point our hands brushed against each other. We exchanged looks; both of us showed flushed cheeks. We looked at our hands momentarily in uncertainty...then grasped. That's when it hit me like a slap across the cheek. I felt sparks of unfamiliar emotions coursing through my blood vessels. My skin tingled and my cheeks and ears got hot. My heart sunk into my stomach in embarrassment.

I learned in health class last year about emotions that a teenager would often experience when boys and girls begin to like each other. Those were teenagers. I was almost twelve! Kids my age shouldn't really be experiencing these feelings, should they?

But when I looked at him, I notice that he was quite a cute boy. His dark tan skin tone was something that I always had a thing for. His eyes. Those shiny, hazel orbs that twinkled with humor, fun, and confidence. I thought it was all pretty alluring.

It wasn't just his physical appearance that made me like him so much; it was his personality. He'd always been a nice, courageous, athletic kid with a little humor to spice things up. That was exactly my type.

Wait...what was I thinking?! He's been my best friend for as long as I could remember. This wasn't how I should be thinking of him! It was just wrong, wasn't it? At least I always thought it was. But there was something about him that made me feel so...calm.

I felt him squeeze my hand suddenly. My thoughts dispersed, I looked at him. He looked at bit concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"..." I hesitated, trying to think of something to say. I thought I should tell him how I was feeling, but I thought he'd be shocked, worst yet disgusted. "...I'm just glad you're here with me now, Sam." That was all I had to say. I was sure of it.

Sam smiled. "I'm glad you're here too, Scout," he said warmly. "In fact, you're the reason I haven't..." he trailed off.

I was eager to hear what else he had to say. I didn't care if it was a good or bad thing he was about to say; I just wanted to know.

"Haven't what, Sam?" I inquired.

He smiled in a quirky way. His face turned as red as a rose. "...why I haven't given up yet."

I felt like shrieking with laughter at the moment because I was getting a little oxytocin rush, but I stifled it and asked, "How come?"

He looked at me sedately. "Even though I'm in a pretty bad situation right now it doesn't feel all that bad because we're here to look out for and motivate each other...right?"

We shared empathy together at that moment. We were practically looking into each other's emotions. And I felt an extra surge of reassurance in my system. I wanted to cry; not from sadness, but from feeling this sweet flame of hope burn and flicker in my heart. The feeling that everything would turn out okay kept that flame from being extinguished.

"Right." I said as we strode farther into the vast, musky tunnel.

* * *

Sam and I walked cautiously through the sewer for what felt like hours. Our journey through was aimless save for our objective of getting the heck out of there at a safe distance away from where those monsters were.

We helped each other get through certain obstacles such as climbing steep waterfalls or whacking rats aside with a rusty crowbar we picked up earlier when we were too scared to approach them. The wait for a ticket out of the sewer was agonizing. After a while I couldn't take another minute in that crap hole. Sam and I acted like any kid our ages, complaining to each other about how we wanted to get out of there so badly. The good thing about it was that there were no adults around to tell us to stop whining and keep walking.

Finally, we could quit complaining when I spotted a few holes in the ceiling with sunlight pouring through. A way out!

"Woo!" we cheered, slamming hands. Our outbursts echoes down the moist tunnel. "Sweet land!"

We immediately dashed over to the spot where the lid sealed the exit. Sam wasted no time jumping up and grasping the folded ladder. With my help we pulled it down together. I insisted that he go first, so he climbed up and pushed the lid aside steadily. Still holding the crowbar, I followed him up.

I squinted my eyes for a second to adjust to the orange sun that was drifting close to the horizon. We'd been in there until it got close to sunset! What I saw a few miles away was _not_ what I wanted to see.

Destruction flared in the large city that used to be my home. Fire roared and blew like a flag in the breeze along with jet-black smoke coming from broken buildings. Car sirens blared constantly. My heart shattered into a million pieces.

Why? Why did this nightmare of mine have to turn into reality?

Unable to hold back the anguish that threatened to explode inside me, I fell to my knees and began to cry uncontrollably. Big, salty tears rolled down my heated cheeks and spilled onto my shirt. I felt Sam kneel down next to me and squeeze me in his arms. His sobs made warm breath seep onto my skin, but I didn't care. I only cared about the future, the consequences I'd face If we didn't find our families, and killing those abominations who wrecked my town.

I raised my head and growled. My eyes were set ablaze by hate. "What ruthless, nasty, _stupid_, _horrible MADMEN_ could do this to us!?" I demanded out loud.

"The Company of Holy Nightmare," a voice answered from behind.

* * *


	4. Star Warriors

The Littlest Valkyrie

4. Star Warriors

The voice had come straight out of nowhere. Sam and I had our hearts in our throats when we whirled around. I was afraid it was a monster about to rip our intestines out, but I was amazed, and somewhat relieved, to see that it _wasn't_. Instead, there stood two tall, armored knight-looking beings. One carried a threatening mace, wore a deep green helm, gray plate armor that concealed its arms, legs, and chest; heavy leather gloves, and large boots that looked so heavy that their wearer looked like it could hardly walk. The skin that was exposed was a pale gray in color, and its eyes were a valiant amber-gold beneath its helm. The other creature, who was a few feet shorter than her companion resembled a human and was feminine-like. Her silver-blue hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her skin was a lovely tone of sky-blue and her eyes were benign, benevolent rubies. She wore a purple leather robe with lightweight golden shoulder armor, chain mail beneath her robe (which I assumed made her feel terribly uncomfortable), magenta-colored boots, and fingerless leather gloves with jewels on them. In one of her hands was a bloody longsword. Their faces looked nonthreatening, but I wasn't about to fall for some trap that the couple could be planning to pull on Sam and me. Just because I was a kid didn't mean I was stupid and impressionable.

At first I approached the aliens with mild hostility. "If you're here to kill us, don't count on it!" I snarled.

"Yeah," Sam chimed in. "Wasn't it bad enough that you totally destroyed our home city and killed a lot of people? Are you here to add to your dirty work?"

The taller creature seemed to look hard at us. "Our work may be immoral sometimes, but it's for the sake of the whole universe."

"And it's not you we're here to kill; it's those nasty, malevolent excuses for creatures that attacked your city. Besides, if we had a mind to kill you we would've done it by now."

She had a point. "Well, you don't look like those things much anyway," I said. "But just what are you?"

The woman smiled proudly at us. "We're Star Warriors."

I was dumbfounded. I didn't understand a single part of 'Star Warriors'."Star _what_, now?"

"The defenders of all galaxies and vanquishers of monsters and demon beasts from Holy Nightmare." the towering brute finished.

Even upon hearing their answer, I somehow believed them. "...You...kill monsters all across the universe?"

"Precisely," the tall one said. "They've spread out all across the cosmos, coming to every planet inhabited with dominant life like yourselves and enslaving it."

The female looked at us solemnly. "And now your planet is a part of their collection, I'm afraid."

I couldn't believe my ears. Aliens! They couldn't just rain down from the sky presumptuously at an inconvenient time and take over the world! "Are you telling me that this planet will be destroyed, and we're all going to die or be trapped like rats!?"

"Not if we're here," she answered. "And relax. We've already rescued several billion survivors of the sieges, including some of the denizens of your city."

"Then why are you still here?"

"We were checking to see if there were any demons left to kill."

The thought of a huge monstrosity of a brute strangling me and Sam was like a wet-willie, a titty-twister and a deft punch to the stomach combined. It seemed like there weren't any more around, but I still wanted to know how to deal with them if they were.

"What are we supposed to do?" I asked. "I know we're civilians, but is there anything we could do to help?"

The woman didn't laugh much to our surprise, and neither did the man. "...You can trust us and help us look for survivors of the attack."

Trust them? I didn't know about that. I had no idea why they were taking the time to help us, what these monsters wanted, how to stop them, or where the heck our families went. The only person I could trust was Sam then.

What if the monsters were capable of shape-shifting or possessing the bodies and minds of their enemies? These newcomers sure didn't look like monsters; they were far too good-looking unlike those hideous monsters! But what if they were monsters disguised as Star Warriors aiming to kidnap, or worse, kill us? I had to gain their trust before they could gain my own.

"Prove to us that you're not monsters in disguise or spies first," I demanded. "Because I am _so_ not in the mood for being captured or murdered at all!"

The lady warrior delivered a serious face to me. "Please, girl," she sighed. "We told you before: we are not monsters or spies. We would've killed you by now if we were. For the last time, we're _not_ from Holy Nightmare Co., we're not going to hurt either of you, and there's no time to lose. If you want to survive and reunite with your families, you're going to have to trust us. It's okay."

Sam and I looked meaningfully at each other, exchanging glances that said, "What do you think we should do?" We were kids; we didn't know how to deal with monsters. These people here were experienced and had awesome weapons and armor that I was sure Sam envied them for a lot. If we went with the duo, we'd have protection and knowledge about the demon beasts. We could probably be able to see our families again.

There was no turning back. We had to make a choice. "We'll go with you."

The two knights nodded in approval. The woman gestured us to follow them, so we did. I walked alongside the woman, gazing curiously at her armor and sword. I'd never seen anything like what she had, not even in the war books that Aries showed me when we were younger. Something inside me wanted to be just like her...but I didn't know what I specifically desired and why.

She saw me staring at her, of course, and her voice broke into my thoughts. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

My cheeks heated up a little. "I was...just looking at your armor. It's...nice." For lack of a better word.

"Yes, it is, thank you," she said, a wicked grin suddenly sprouting across her face. "Now stay where you are, and put your hands behind your back! You're coming with us, prisoners!"

My eyes went wide, and my mouth went agape. In horror and regret for making the dumbest decision in my life, I reluctantly moved my hands to my back. But then the lady took hold of my left hand, restraining it. She was laughing her head off in a second. "Ha ha ha. Just kidding!" The taller knight shook his head. I was sure that he was hiding a playful smile beneath his helmet.

I stuck my lower lip out to keep myself from laughing. In my mind, I thought that what she'd just done was hysterically funny. But I wouldn't show my feelings because this was no time for laughter and jokes.

* * *

"Alright, just what the heck is going on here?" I asked as we walked further away from the ruins of the city. "And where are you taking us?"

"Didn't we already tell you?" the woman said. "We've come to save you, and we're taking you to a ship on which we'll fly you and your friend to a refugee hold. Why, would you rather be left to die?"

I felt embarrassed. "No, malady, I'm not ungrateful; you might have saved our lives back there; I'm just..." I trailed off, trying to find the perfect word to describe my current emotion. I was experiencing many feelings then, too many to name.

Suddenly she slid her hand around my bare shoulder. Her hand was warm and comforting, and it wasn't the glove that made me feel better. It was actually her, the warmth of her skin melting the ice that stressed me out. "I feel what you're thinking," she said. "It's a tough time for us all. I've seen many sad and fearful faces of the innocent in the past; it kills me to see more. But it's good to know that you're both going to be fine."

This lady was nice. She surely couldn't be a monster if she was kind like this. Neither could her companion, who was carrying Sam on his back. My pal was totally out. He was limp with sleep and his mouth was open enough for some drool to leak out. He looked so funny that I had to laugh.

"Your friend looks quite tired," the lady warrior commented. "If you are, I'd be very happy to carry you too if you want."

"It's alright," I replied. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Knight Haruko Stardancer," she answered proudly.

It was totally an alien name, but I liked it. It had such a strong, valiant sound to it. "That's a nice name."

"Thanks," she smiled. "And you are...?"

I grimaced before responding, "Turner. Scout Hayley Turner." Then I waited for the "Wow, really?", the "What kind of name is that?", or the most common from older kids, "I guess your parents were some users before you were born!". Sometimes I wished Hayley was my first name because I was ridiculed by some kids when I was little. But nowadays I wasn't ashamed of it. There's nothing about oneself that he or she should hate. Scout is my real name and I personally like it. I always thought I looked like a Scout. I was only afraid I'd get an unwanted reaction again.

But instead I got, "What a lovely name," from Haruko. "It sounds adventurous."

"Adventurous?" I don't hear that everyday.

"Yes, really." she said.

"That's not something I get all the time," I said. "When I was little I got made fun of by some kids who had much 'nicer' names, as they called it. But if they had a weird sounding name, I poked fun at them, too."

Haruko giggled. "Did you ever get into trouble for it?"

"Once a kid who made fun of me told on me for retorting to him," I answered. "For the lack of a better excuse, I told the adult, teacher, whoever it was, that he started it. I don't know what made my parents want to name me that."

"Maybe they just got a little psycho about finding the perfect name for their baby girl," Haruko suggested.

"Maybe. They just couldn't choose something short and sweet like Abby, Diane or Rachel, so they went with 'Scout'."

Haruko laughed. "Names for an unborn child are infinite," she said. "Sometimes it can be hard to find the perfect ones."

We were silent for a few moments before I asked, "How'd you know that we were in danger?"

"Good question," she replied. "Our spaceships are programmed to go wherever there are monsters causing chaos."

"So basically, wherever there are monsters, there are Star Warriors?"

"Right!" Haruko pointed out.

"How long have you been fighting?"

Suddenly, she looked down. Her eyes looked as though she was reflecting on a horrible memory. I cursed at myself in my head, feeling guilty about bringing whatever seemed to be bothering her.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to-"

She just smiled at me in understanding. "It's all right. You deserve to know."

I listened closely at what she had to say.

"I know how you must feel, knowing that your family is missing," she began. "My life was never the same when Holy Nightmare first attacked my home planet. I was about your age..." There was a crack in her voice and a shine in her eyes, as if she might cry. "I lost my entire family because of them. I was rescued and put into refuge until one day, I observed some young warriors training."

"You wanted to join?" I inferred.

She nodded. "I trained for years before I started killing off monsters along with the others. It was how I avenged my family members' deaths."

I put my arm around her reassuringly. I was composed on the outside, but on the inside I was weeping uncontrollably. I was bitter and resentful toward the monsters for taking the lives of her family, and it made me worry. What if this turns out to be a coincidence? Will my parents and brother die? Were they already murdered? What about Sam's family?!

Haruko seemed to read my mind. She put her hand around my waist. "I'm not going to let a pair of innocent children live my nightmare. I promise you, Scout, we'll find your family. And they will be _alive_." She seemed to have a tart emphasis on the last word. That's what brightened the dying flame of hope in my heart a little.

* * *


	5. Awakening

_Ugh, sorry for the long wait again; I've been really busy lately and a bit occupied as well. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!_

_

* * *

_

The Littlest Valkyrie

5. Awakening

_The loud footsteps echoed in the desolate area, getting faster along with my raging pulse. The labyrinth was pitch black, so I didn't know where the sound was coming from at first._

_My heart was a pounding drum in my chest, agonized, miserable and ready to burst. I didn't know why my heart was beating so fast and hard, but I knew that something had to be terribly wrong. But what was wrong? Where was I?_

_"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"_

_The wicked cackle caused me to jump out of my skin. That's when I knew that something was after me. My mouth was open to scream, but I couldn't yell a thing. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't let it find me._

_Or was it already looming in the abyss right beside me, ready to pounce?_

_Whatever the heck was there cackled again, sounding closer. That's when I ran. Those footsteps were back again, the same speed, the same rhythm, all coming from my own feet. It laughed a third time, the spine-tingling noise mocking me._

_Shut up! I wanted so badly to yell at it. __Shut up and leave me alone! I HATE YOU!!_

_Maybe it knew what I was thinking, because it didn't heed my desire. I heard the vicious laugh again, and it seemed to be right next to me. I felt something then, the physical feeling that someone is present when you think you're alone. It was like sensing a ghost in a quiet and dark room. _

_There was someone next to me, all right._

_Now the feeling had moved from right next to me to above my head. It slid over me completely, and I felt the cold, skeletal fingers coil around me. The ground was gone; I was being picked up! I heard the cackle a fourth time, and it was right in my face. I would've demanded who was holding me, but I thought I already knew who it was. _

_"LET ME GO!" I screamed, struggling in Nightmare's grasp. It had to be him, it just had to!_

_"But I was just starting to have fun!" the monstrous voice mocked._

_"I HATE YOU!" I was screaming so loudly that my throat hurt. "YOU SUCK SO HARD!!! GO AWAY!!!!"_

_The wraith hesitated for a second, then his grin widened just a little more.  
_

_"Oh well, there's always next time." That was the last I heard from him._

_Little by little the blackness began to brighten as if it was daybreak. The huge, skeletal hand that constricted my whole body shrank down into a warmer and more harmless one. In fact, there were two hands, rubbing my shoulders gently. Then there was a voice...a sweet voice._

"Scout?" It was feminine. For a minute I thought I was just having another nightmare in my bed at home...my _destroyed_ home...and it was my mother who was easing me out of it. Then my vision came clear, and much to my disappointment, it wasn't my mom. It was kind of vague and alien, the figure...however, I recognized the ruby-red eyes and the kind face. "Wake up, Scout!"

"...Haruko?" I groaned sleepily.

A soft smile pulled her lips back. "Ah, you're awake." I saw her reach for something next to me, and the delicious fragrance of food touched my nose. A deep growl rumbled in my stomach. Jeez. I hadn't eaten anything since the waffles I had for breakfast the morning when the city was invaded, and I was starving. My stomach felt like it was going to eat up my other insides just to satisfy itself.

Haruko laughed. "Wow, did a bomb just explode inside you, or was that your stomach growling?" As I sat up in the bed I'd been sleeping not too soundly in, I saw that she was holding a wooden tray with sliced bread, a baked potato and a small bowl of fresh fruit sitting on top, waiting to be devoured. Haruko laughed again when she saw me staring avariciously at the food. "I brought you breakfast," she smiled.

"Oh, lovely," I purred as she handed me the tray. "Thank you so much!" I was about to raise a slice of fruit to my lips, but something about it freaked me out a bit. The fruit's skin was blue, and it was pink on the inside. I couldn't put my finger on what that kind of fruit was. The bread was more golden than any baked good I'd ever seen on Earth, and it was glazed with some kind of runny, orange liquid. I was being served alien food.

"What's the matter?" asked Haruko. "Do you think it's poisoned or something?"

"No, no," I answered. "I've just never seen food like this before."

"It's from the planet where people like my companion you saw with me earlier hail from," she explained. "It's good; trust me. And there's plenty more where this came from, if you want. We just recently got a shipment of fresh food to the camp."

She got up to get water from a metal pail a few steps away, and I ate the fruit, and my cheeks heated up with delight. It was good, even better-tasting than I expected. I immediately shoved some more in my mouth after I swallowed the first piece. I knew I wasn't being polite, but give me a break! I hadn't eaten for a long time, and the food was awesome! Besides, nobody was looking. When Haruko turned around with a filled cup of water, I ate much slower. I didn't want to offend her and get admonished for my hidden bad manners.

"Did you say camp?" I said, picking up a slice of bread.

"I was wondering when you'd ask me about that," she said. "This is a big refugee camp, Scout."

I was a bit dumbfounded. "What's a refugee camp?" I'd never been taught about that.

She looked just a bit less confused than me. "Nobody told you what that means?"

"No."

"This is where we Star Warriors take civilians who are negatively affected by the demon beasts who are at war with us to. Here, they are safe and provided with food, shelter, and clothing." She paused, looking down in dismay. "It's basically a huge spaceship that carries victims of the war. Sadly, we get more and more refugees in often."

"This whole thing is a spaceship? This had to have taken forever to build and cost a lot of money!" I said.

"Indeed," she said. "It took a lot of engineering, resources, and money, but it was really worth it, as you'll see. Would you like me to show you around once you're done eating?"

I nodded. I wanted to know everything there was to know about this place. I also wanted to know if my family was here as well. That was when concern washed over me like a tsunami again.

"Haruko, do you remember Sam, my friend that was wandering around with me when you found us?"

She nodded calmly, seeming to sense my uneasiness. "He's in the dome next to us. He's awake and doing just fine. He woke up a while ago, and he asked for you. He wanted to know if you wanted to tour the ship with him.

"And I told some comerades of mine to check the place for your family's presence."

"What'd they find?" Did they even find them at all?

"They'll let us know what the results will be of the search, honey." She put her arms around me. "Don't worry. If you and Sam survived the devastation back on Earth, they might have, too."

I was finished with my meal soon enough, and I began to get out of bed to get dressed. To my sudden embarrassment, I couldn't find the clothes I was wearing the day before I left home...or however long it's been since I left home. I was dressed only in a tattered, brown, sleeveless robe, and probably just my undies underneath.

"Um..." I felt my cheeks flush with blood. "Where are my clothes?" It was better than asking something ridiculous like, 'How the heck did I get into this bathrobe?'

She smiled. "They're getting washed. You'll get them back soon." She got a bit more serious when I looked at her, expecting to say, 'I never gave anyone permission to take my clothes and wash them without my permission!'

"Trust me. You wouldn't want to walk around in them after being in that sewer." Haruko cringed for a second. "I remeber the smell. That attire smelled like death! I might as well have told the washers to run for their lives!"

I couldn't help but laugh. Even though I wanted to get out of that street that was infested with monsters, I hated the consequences of smelling like the inside of an ass when I got out, and neither did Sam.

"So, can we look around now?" I questioned. "I want to see Sam and this place."

"You most certainly can," Haruko nodded. "You've been very patient, and you deserve to learn about what this place is like and what it's capable of." She beckoned with her hand at me. "Follow me."

And off we were, into a novel place that I'd have to adapt to immediately.


End file.
